HBA Announces the Launch of Illuminate

SINGAPORE -- HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates, the global hospitality design firm, is bringing forty-five years of experience in creating lighting projects to the global design community through Illuminate. An independent lighting consultancy, Illuminate will provide services beyond HBA projects, reaching-out to all professional design companies and clients by offering them solutions to bring light to their projects.

Lighting plays a significant role in the design of a project; it is the integral element of drama, theater and play. A perfectly lit interior should reveal the subtle finishes, enhance the mood, and fit the environment in absolute harmony with its surroundings.

“Good lighting design should first be dictated by the emotional and creative response, and then facilitated by the mathematical and scientific knowledge,” says Simon Berry, director of Illuminate.

Berry goes on to say, “With the correct balance of light and shadow we draw reference to the natural world. Consider light falling through the branches of a tree creating shadow and texture to the floor beneath; if you remove the shadow then it instantly loses the contrast and the perception of light is lost.”

Illuminate's strength is founded on the team's ability to seamlessly collaborate with the client, design team, and art consultant to achieve the physical requirements of the project. It also acts to elicit an emotional response from an individual. This is achieved by calling upon a lighting design team which has a broad range of experience and creative knowledge, enabling Illuminate to uniquely tailor the approach to each project.

On the Indigo Hotel Shanghai on the Bund, Illuminate created a sophisticated lighting design which injected life into this unique boutique hotel through creating a dynamic atmosphere via light. The results encapsulate the local vibe of Shanghai. In the reception area, square ceiling coffers with RGB LED strip lights were used to create a dynamic and varied experience. Depending upon the time of day and day of the week, a different color is washed onto the ceiling of the coffers. Close offset down-lights help accentuate the curved timber walls and metal hull wall, both drawing analogies back to Shanghai’s historical industrial past of ship building. The 'living green' walls are lit with full spectrum lamps for plant health during the day. They switch over to a more controllable LV source at night, allowing for greater flexibility in creating the right mood.

Illuminate believes in global responsibility. Implementing the highest standard in environmental and ecological lighting design. Each project researches the most advanced technologies in energy saving lamps and scene setting controls, ensuring artificial light is only introduced and used when required.